Author: Student Solidarity

[if you would like to add your name to this statement you can email solidarity.for.students@gmail.com or comment below]

We stand in solidarity with NUS LGBT+ Officer Fran Cowling and support their right to choose who they share a platform with according to their own values and beliefs. We believe fundamentally in the right to freedom of speech and association but that both of these carry with them the right to choose to neither speak nor associate with someone and Fran has every right to exercise those rights however they deem fit.

We are appalled at Peter Tatchell’s actions in dragging a dedicated, hard-working and passionate activist through an appalling media circus which has led to them receiving a torrent of vile abuse with no other apparent purpose than to salve his own ego.

We believe that whether Peter Tatchell feels he is racist or transphobic is ultimately irrelevant as none of us is best placed to be an objective judge of our own behaviour and Fran’s decision to listen to the voices of People of Colour and Trans people who have raised issues with his behaviour was the right decision for them to make and should be supported. Whilst also recognising that those opinions are not universal amongst People of Colour and Trans people, nor should there ever be expectation that they would be, because neither group is comprised of identical clones and where differing opinions exist the choice of who to side with remains with the individual.

Fran exercised their right to freedom of speech and association by declining an invitation, they in no way infringed on Peter Tatchell’s being invited to speak or attend the event on the 15th of February as is clearly evidenced by the fact that he both attended and spoke at the event. Equally, Peter Tatchell is not and has never been the subject of no-platform by any part of NUS.

We believe his claims that either of these things is the case to be deliberately misleading and gives the impression that the sole purpose of his actions has been to punish Fran for their, entirely justifiable, choice not to engage with him. In a person of his age and standing his actions seem childish in the extreme.

We offer Fran our support and solidarity and we stand in defence of their right to speak or associate (or not) with whoever they want without fear of bullying and victimisation.